1. Field of the Invention
This invention comprises a formaldehyde-free aqueous composition for finishing a fabric, a method for finishing a fabric using the formaldehyde-free composition, and the formaldehyde-free fabric obtained thereby.
Importantly, the formaldehyde-free composition of the present invention provides a treated, finished fabric with a rigid stiffness. The treated fabric is heat and light stable and non-tacky, enabling the fabric to be transfer printed and used in window treatments such as pleated window shades and vertical blinds.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Presently, window treatment fabrics are customarily dyed, printed, and/or metallized with a finish process with one or more of the finishing compositions containing formaldehyde. Hereto-fore, it has been believed that formaldehyde is a necessary ingredient in the finish composition in order to produce the stiffness and rigidity in the fabric necessary to make window treatments such as pleated window shades and vertical blinds.
Pleated window blinds may be produced by various methods known in the art in which the fabric may be dyed and finished; finished, metallized on back, and transfer printed; finished, metallized on back, transfer coated and printed; finished, transfer printed and laminated; or dyed, finished and laminated. The fabric may also be finished, wet printed (solvent or aqueous solution) and/or metallized. Vertical blinds may also be produced by similar methods.
Commonly, the finished fabric that is used in window treatments contains formaldehyde releasing resins such as melamine formaldehyde, urea formaldehyde, glyoxal reactants and mixtures thereof. Based on the chemical nature of these resins, formalde-hyde gases are released during and after each process as described above and have been determined to be hazardous to the health of workers by OSHA. The formaldehyde gases are also released over a long period of time after the final product has been made and purchased by the customer.
Because of the need for a formaldehyde-free window treatment, a finished fabric has been developed that is non-hazardous, but retains the properties, especially stiffness, which is customary in a formaldehyde-containing product. Replacing the thermoset resin containing formaldehyde with a formaldehyde-free thermoset resin product eliminates the hazardous formaldehyde gas that is retained in the fabric and eliminates the hazardous formaldehyde gas that is given off in the pleating and printing process. The improved finish described herein thus allows the fabric to be used without releasing formaldehyde gases that are hazardous to human health both in the workplace and in the home while retaining the properties necessary to make successful window treatments.